The International Tribunal for Lebanon, which is hearing the case of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said yesterday, Wednesday, that it will postpone the pronouncement of its ruling until August 18, due to the repercussions of the explosion in Beirut.
On Friday, the court had been due to rule on the charges against four people of the Hariri assassination and 21 others.
Before the explosion that shook Beirut on Tuesday, Lebanon was looking forward to know the ruling against the four accused of planning and organizing the bombing that occurred 15 years ago.
The court was established by a United Nations decree in 2007 and began its deliberations in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2009.
In January 2011, the court charged four members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Mustafa Badr al-Din, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Anisi, and Asad Sabra, with the assassination of Hariri and 21 others. The legal prosecution of Badr al-Din was dropped after his killing in Syria in 2016.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah refuses to hand over the suspects, and he warned the court, saying "Don't play with fire," while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad considered the court a tool "to pressure Hezbollah."
Al-Hariri, who was the Prime Minister of Lebanon until his resignation in October 2004, was assassinated in February 2005 when the equivalent of 1,800 kilograms of TNT exploded, as his convoy passed by the St. George Hotel in Beirut.
The explosion killed 21 people and wounded 226, and Syria, which had great influence in Lebanon, was charged.
At the time, the event constituted a threat to Hezbollah, which faces accusations that it denies involvement in the assassination process. Syria also endured part of the anger of the Lebanese and international street, due to its military and intelligence presence in Lebanon.